[Dermoscopy for beginners (i): General information]

The incidence of skin cancer has been gradually increasing worldwide since the 1960s. It is currently a health and economic problem for the different health systems. Dermoscopy is a non-invasive in vivo diagnostic technique, developed to study skin lesions. It improves the diagnostic accuracy of hyperpigmented lesions, as well as an early diagnosis of potentially malignant lesions, especially melanoma. The time spent on physical examination is not significantly increased. New applications have currently been discovered for this technique. Dermoscopy requires a learning process. Due to the complexity of the topic, the text has been divided into 2 parts to try to simplify its presentation. This first part will focus on the more technical aspects and the characteristics of the device called dermoscope. In the second part, 2 diagnostical methods will be presented along with their easy interpretation and usefulness in Primary Care.